The present invention relates to a method of treating a radiation protector and a system therefor. Conventionally, the wearing of a radiation protector is practiced at places where a radioactive material relating to nuclear energy is handled to protect the human body from exposure to radiation. Extreme care is necessary for a technique and system for treating a used radiation protector. There are a few treating systems capable of minimizing the incidence of radiation injury caused by radioactive substances attached to a used radiation protector, particularly radioactive substances emitting gamma radiation, radioactive isotopes, neutron-emitting radioactive substances, etc.
In view of the above-described problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a radiation protector treating method capable of preventing radioactive contamination by using a radiation attenuating and absorbing material for each of various radioactive substances attached to a radiation protector, and also provide a system suitably used to carry out the radiation protector treating method.
Another object of the present invention is to confine radioactive substances attached to a used radiation protector by pulverizing and melting the radiation protector into a glassy state and forming a solid glass body consisting essentially of lead glass.
To attain the above-described objects, the present invention provides a radiation protector treating method including the steps of pulverizing a used radiation protector to obtain a pulverized radiation protector material and mixing the pulverized radiation protector material with boron powder and bismuth powder, and casting the pulverized radiation protector material mixed with the powders into an electric melting furnace and also casting silicon powder, lead oxide powder and carbon powder into the electric melting furnace.
In addition, the present invention provides a radiation protector treating system including a radiation protector pulverizer for pulverizing a used radiation protector to obtain a pulverized radiation protector material. A boron powder storage tank and a bismuth powder storage tank are connected to the radiation protector pulverizer. The system further includes an electric melting furnace for melting the pulverized radiation protector material, which has been pulverized by the radiation protector pulverizer, into a glassy state. A silicon powder storage tank, a lead oxide powder storage tank and a carbon powder storage tank are connected to the electric melting furnace.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.